ributable
to us. He proved to be a thorough good sport and a most democratic
prince.

The war having broken out in August, we had only one idea--economy on
every side, that we might all be able to do what we could. We had not
then begun to realize the seriousness of it sufficiently to dream that
we should be welcome ourselves. We closed up all activities not
entirely necessary, and even the hospital ship went into winter
quarters so early that my fall trip was made from harbour to harbour
in the people's own boats or by mail steamer or schooner, as
opportunity offered.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE WAR

In the fall of 1915, I was urged by the Harvard Surgical Unit to make
one of their number for their proposed term of service that winter at
a base hospital in France. Having discussed the matter with my
directors, we decided that it was justifiable to postpone the lecture
tour which had been arranged for me, in view of this new need.

We sailed for England on the Dutch liner New Amsterdam and landed at
Falmouth, passing through a cordon of mine-sweepers and small patrols
as we neared the English shores. My wife's offer to work in France not
being accepted, since I held the rank of Major, we ran down to my old
home, where she decided to spend most of her time. My uniform and kit
were ready in a few days; and in spite of the multitudinous calls on
the War Office officials, I can say in defence of red tape that my
papers were made out very quickly. I was thus able to leave promptly
for Boulogne, near which I joined the other members of my Unit, who
had preceded me by a fortnight.

It was Christmas and the snow was on the ground when I arrived in
France. There was much talk of trench feet and the cold. Our life in
the North had afforded experiences more like those at the front than
most people's. We are forced to try and obtain warmth and mobility
combined with economy, especially in food and clothing. At the request
of the editor, I therefore sent to the "British Medical Journal" a
summary of deductions from our Northern experiences. Clothes only keep
heat in and damp out. Thickness, not even fur, will warm a statue, and
our ideal has been to obtain light, wind-and water-proof material,
and a pattern that prevents leakage of the body's heat from the neck,
wrists, waist, knees, and ankles. Our skin boots, by being soft,
water-tight, and roomy, remove the causes of trench feet. Later when I
returned to England I was inv